There is work to be done – the team is “unfinished” – but the Yankees still are contenders in the American League, team president Randy Levine said Tuesday.
“The Yankees definitely are contenders. You saw at the end of the year we have a lot of great young players,” Levine said at a press conference at Yankee Stadium to announce the seventh New Era Pinstripe Bowl, a Dec. 28 meeting between No. 23 Pittsburgh and Northwestern.
The Yankees have added Matt Holliday as a DH bat, and Levine said GM Brian Cashman seeks upgrades at the winter meetings.
“Cash is down there in Maryland trying to make some moves, and right now it’s an unfinished product,” Levine said before the rival Red Sox swung a blockbuster trade for Chris Sale. “But yeah, I think we’re going to be competitive. Very competitive this year, and I think our future is very, very bright. We have a lot of very good, young talented players who will either be here this year or next year or shortly thereafter.”
One of those, of course, is catcher Gary Sanchez, who had a historic impact with 20 home runs in his 53 games following his August recall. He became the fastest player in MLB history to reach 11, then 18, then 19 homers.
“It’s more than one player,” Levine said. “We’ve had a plan and we’re executing it, so I think there’s going to be a lot of exciting years for Yankees fans coming up, starting this year.”
Part of that excitement, Levine indicated, comes from a farm system that was restocked with youth through deadline trades.
“I’ve been president 17 years, and this is the deepest [farm system] in my time,” Levine said.
Some of that talent came in a deal for Aroldis Chapman, whom the Yankees apparently want to bring back. But Chapman is hoping for a six-year deal. That was one topic Levine sidestepped.
“I’m not going to comment on that. Those are questions for Brian,” Levine said.
But Levine was full throttle on the Pinstripe Bowl, which will highlight at least one high inspirational player per team.
Pitt (8-4), which beat Clemson and Penn State, features junior running back James Conner, who overcame Hodgkin’s lymphoma and a knee injury in the past year before becoming a 1,000-yard runner and an All-ACC pick.
“He has affected so many people’s lives. It was almost a year ago, on Thanksgiving Day that he found out he had cancer,” Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi, who lost his father to the same form of cancer, said of Conner. “He’s an inspiration to everybody. The things he does in the community are unbelievable. I can’t say enough good things about him.”
Northwestern (6-6), which lost by four to playoff-bound Ohio State on the road, has senior wide receiver Austin Carr, who led the Big Ten in in receptions, receiving yards, receiving touchdowns and is a Biletnikoff Award finalist. Not bad for a walk-on.
“We didn’t even know who he was. He called us and said, ‘Hey, I’d like to walk on. I’m already at school.’ We pull up his video, said, ‘Yeah, sure,’” Northwestern’s Pat Fitzgerald, coaching at Joe Girardi’s alma mater, said of Carr. “Fast forward and here’s a young man up for the top receiver award in the country. … In a different way, he’s someone who is very inspirational like Conner is for them overcoming cancer.”